STUDENTS from across Limerick city and county attended a very special 18th birthday party recently, as the Treaty celebrated 18 years supporting Fairtrade.
And the young Limerick citizens were told that climate change is making the work of the Fairtrade organisation more important than ever.
Pupils were visiting Limerick City and County Council headquarters at Merchant’s Quay as part of the Fairtrade awareness programme, where they created Christmas cards centred on the Fairtrade message of promoting fair trading practices between Ireland and developing countries.
Cards were created by pupils from schools across the city and county aged from five to 18, illustrating what Fairtrade means to them.
Addressing the pupils, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Gerald Mitchell, said: “Choosing Fairtrade means that you care how the product was produced, who produced it, and what benefit they get. By choosing to support Fairtrade, you can add your voice to demands for a trade system that puts people, not profit, at the heart of the transaction.”
“Our voices become louder when we speak together. It means taking a look behind the brands, the messages, and get to the real story behind the product. That is what Fairtrade is about. There are over 1.7 million producers, farmers, and workers spread across more than 75 countries in the world participating in Fairtrade with sales in 2017 reaching 9.2 billion US dollars.”
Announcing the winners of this year’s school’s Christmas card competition, Dolores O’Meara, chair of the Limerick City Fairtrade Committee, said: “Christmas is a time for giving and receiving. We spend a lot of money on consumer goods at this time of year but we still buy tea, coffee, cocoa, bananas, chocolate.”
“Many of the producers in the developing world of these everyday items are struggling with climate change, drought, and flooding. We have the opportunity to remember them and support them by choosing the item with the Fairtrade logo.”
Limerick City was awarded status as a Fairtrade City in 2005. The Fairtrade programme ensures that producers in developing countries receive a fair price for their products. Further information on how the Fairtrade programme operates is available at Fairtrade.ie.
